


Feral

by BlackHawksChild



Series: Remembering To Breathe [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Clint Barton, Alpha Nick Fury, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Maria Hill, Beta Phil Coulson, F/M, Flashbacks, Non-Chronological, Omega Eva Santos, Omega Natasha Romanov, Omega Sharon Carter, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut, bond marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:32:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6351775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHawksChild/pseuds/BlackHawksChild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was a monster, an feral animal. But maybe she was able to tame the beast. Co-written by DarylDixon'sLover on Fanfiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Debrief

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes made his way down the hallway of his partner's apartment. He knocked twice before his partner's mate opened the door. Sharon smiled at him. "Morning, Bucky," she greeted, closing the door behind him. "Steve is in the kitchen," she added.

James smirked and chuckled. "Is the Little Pup up?" he asked with a knowing grin.

Sharon grinned. "Yes, he is," she answered. "Come on. He'll be happy to see his Uncle Bucky," she added.

James grinned and followed her into the kitchen where Steve was trying and failing to feed his one-year-old son, who was turning his nose up at his food. "Ciaran James Rogers, why aren't you eating your breakfast?" James asked, placing his hands on his hips and looking at his Godson.

Ciaran grinned and looked up at his Uncle. "Unca Buck!" he squealed, reaching for James.

"Hey there little man, now why aren't you eating your breakfast?" James asked sternly as Ciaran looked a bit ashamed then and James encouraged his godson to eat his breakfast.

Steve smirked at him, causing James to smirk back as he watched his best friend for a while, before seeing Steve successfully feeding Ciaran his breakfast.

The two best friends said goodbye to Sharon who smiled and they headed to the briefing room where Director Nick Fury was along with Agent Maria Hill.

"So what's the mission?" Steve asked quietly as he looked up at the older man who nodded at Maria. She showed them a photo of a Hispanic young woman with curly black hair and dark brown eyes.

"The person of interest is called Eva Santos. She's a doctor at a hospital in Mexico. Specifically in a small town and she has abilities that are sought after," Maria explained quietly.

"She has the ability to heal herself and others of any injuries," Fury informed the team finally.

Steve and James stared. "Who wants her? Us?" James asked, picking up one dossier and flicking through the information about her. He wasn't going to show any sign of recognising Eva's name; his mate's name.

"The Council want to recruit her. Back to S.H.I.E.L.D. We want to protect her. HYDRA want to experiment on her," Fury summed up.

James paused at some information. "She grew up with Agent Barton," he stated, looking up from where he was reading. "Why not send him?"

"Barton's mate, Agent Romanoff, is due any day now," Steve answered, making James turn and raise an eyebrow at him. "He's very protective," the blonde added.

"You have no idea," Maria muttered, biting back a smirk when Fury snorted. "Sergeant Barnes, you are going undercover as a hired security in Santos' department in the hospital. Rogers, you are needed here as part of the Avengers. But you will be on stand as Barnes' back-up if he needs it."

"Because Sharon and Ciaran would need to come with me if I was sent for undercover longer than four weeks," Steve acknowledged. "As my Omega and son, I can't be without them for too long."

James nodded; as a bonded Alpha, Steve's natural instinct wouldn't, couldn't, allow him to be without his family. "Don't worry, Punk," James started. "I'll be okay," he promised.

Steve nodded.

James stood. "I will get ready," he stated, standing up. "Director Fury, Agent Hill," he acknowledged before leaving.

When the door closed, Steve turned back to Nick and Maria. "So… Sending him to protect the woman who saved his life following his time after I rescued him. Whose bright idea was that?" he asked.

"Dr. Santos is Sergeant Barnes' bond mate," Maria replied, surprising Steve. "He won't let her get hurt."

Steve smiled then at the thought of James finally finding happiness with Eva Santos, James deserved to be happy after what HYDRA had put him through seventy years ago.

James was feral and wouldn't to take kindly to seeing threats against his mate. He smiled and left to check on Sharon and Ciaran.

* * *

James packed a bag and looked at the bond mark on the inside of his right arm, Eva's name had turned a dull red which would glow bright blood red if he was near his mate. He swallowed as he looked at the photo of his mate.

Eva Lorena Santos.

He put the dossier in his bag and headed to the Quinjet, where he began his journey to Mexico, which was handling a war against drugs and violence. And his mate happened to be right in the middle of it.

He sighed and began reading the file on the woman, leaning back and loomed through the file on her.

'Name: Eva Lorena Santos.  
Age: Twenty Four.  
Sex: Female, Omega.  
Hair Colour: Black.  
Eye Colour: Dark brown.  
Education: Studied medicines at Harvard University and graduated with full honours.  
Languages: Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch.  
Family:  
Miguel Santos: Father - Deceased.  
Louisa Santos: Mother - Deceased.  
Powers:  
Healing factor.  
Ability to see people's auras.  
Healing People.'

He flicked to the background context and found a picture of his mate when she was a child. The boy beside her was definitely Clint Barton; the same eyes, the same boyish smirk. He hadn't changed much in the years following this picture, darker complexion but that was about it.

James turned his attention back to the information about Eva. She was born in Madrid, Spain to Miguel and Louisa Santos before her parents moved to Waverly, Iowa when Eva was five. When she was nine, her parents were killed in an accident - house fire believed to be a HYDRA arson attack - after which she was placed in an orphanage. In the orphanage, Eva met Clint and Barney Barton who she became close friends with.

James sighed and rubbed his eyes. Everyone knew Omegas were treated badly in orphanages. God knows what his mate had been subjected to during her time in the orphanage. Probably a hell lot of abuse and being teased for her strange powers as he finished reading the file and looked at the recent photo of Eva, it was a recent one and he looked at it intently. Her black hair was longer and her eyes held a haunted look to them.

He felt slightly insulted when he read the differences between Alphas and Omegas. But he knew it was protocol.

' _Omegas are – in metaphorical terms – the "female" of version of either gender. Omegas can go into heat at any time. Or before - in females - she get her period. Her/his pheromones produce irresistible smell for their alpha. During heat, Alphas also become very protective of their Omegas._  
Male Omegas: small genitals, no knot, can conceive through anus.  
Female Omegas: regular female anatomy with a special gland inside the vagina which releases hormones and oils during heat.  
Unless using suppressants to stop heat from taking over, heat usually lasts three-five days, the first and last day being the easiest for Omegas. Omegas in heat crave their Alpha's knot, and only their Alpha's. Like Alphas and Betas, Omegas have scent glands on their necks, their sexual organs while sometimes on their wrists. They are subservient in their nature towards their Alpha bondmate/soulmate. If approached by their Alpha, Omegas can be made submit by firm orders and eye contact from their mate. .  
Bonded Omegas have their mates' mark printed somewhere on their body. This bond mark will glow a darker colour when their mate is in danger or is close to them.'

' _Alphas have large genitals and a 'knot' towards the base of their penis. When close to orgasm, this knot inflates to hold in the semen, increasing the likelihood of impregnation. When an alpha is around an omega in heat, they produce pheromones and become aroused, producing a similar effect that a heat has on an omega; they need to mate with their soulmate.  
Male Alphas: Large genitals, size differs in between eight and twelve inches in length, four to six inches in diameter. Knot while inflated is usually six to seven inches in diameter.  
Female Alphas: Slightly smaller genitals, size differs in between seven and ten inches in length, three to five inches in diameter. Knot while inflated is five to six inches. Cannot conceive.  
Like Betas and Omegas, Alphas have scent glands on their necks, their sexual organs, and in some verses on their wrists. When their Omega is in heat, Alphas become _very _protective and possessive of their Omega. They are dominant in their nature towards their Omega bondmate/soulmate. If approaching their Omega, Alphas can make them submit by firm orders and eye contact with their mate._  
Bonded Alphas have their mates' mark printed somewhere on their body. This bond mark will glow a darker colour when their mate is in danger or is close to them.  
If an Alpha feels that their mate is threatened, or their mate has died/left, the Alpha will become feral and uncontrollable.'

James looked out the window. He needed to see his mate as soon as was possible. Maybe that would calm his feral side.

* * *

They landed five hours later and he found himself in the house across the street from where his mate resided in a ranch style house. When he arrived, it appeared empty.

He wondered if she knew that he was her mate.

James unpacked his few belongings and put his gun in the safe; the last thing he needed was getting busted for not having hidden his gun properly.

That was when he saw her. He had glanced up out the window and saw Eva out on the porch of her house, a rucksack on her shoulder. He looked down at his arm, his mark glowing bright red. No doubt hers was glowing too...

* * *

Eva groaned as she entered her house, dropping her bag on the table as she closed the door behind her. She ran her hand through her hair and made her way into the kitchen. She had just finished a seven hour shift, dealing with patients who had been caught in the ceasefire of the Mexican gang war currently rocking through Mexico.

As she pulled out a bottle of water from her fridge, she noticed her bond mark. She pulled up the sleeve of her top, finding her mark glowing bright silver.

'He's found me,' she thought, looking up...


	2. Reunion Part One

**_S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, New York, 2001…_ **

_Eva looked up as her head nurse, Alisha O'Brien, burst through the door. "Captain Rogers has an incoming emergency. Forceful amputation," she informed the doctor._

_Eva stood up immediately. "Who's the patient?" she asked._

_"Sergeant James Barnes," Alisha replied and Eva froze, her heart jumping into her mouth. "Eva?"_

_Eva swallowed. "Get him set up in the emergency theatre," she ordered. "I'll be with you momentarily."_

_Alisha frowned at the Omega but did as she was told._

_Eva took a few deep breaths, placing her hand on her stomach. "Please, please, let him be okay," she whispered. "For our pup, please let me save him."_

* * *

**_Present Day; Mexico City, Mexico, 2006..._ **

Eva was brought out of her thoughts when she looked up to see her child come in with his nanny. "Hola, Senoira Eva," Anderia greeted as Diego raced over to his mother who easily lifted him into a hug.

"I missed you, Mama," the little boy whispered into the crook of her neck.

"I missed you too, Diego," Eva whispered, pressing her lips to his head.

Eva hugged Diego tightly before sending him off into the playroom with Anderia going back home to her family who owned a bakery. Anderia was a good young woman who dreamed of becoming a nurse so babysitting for Diego helped and she adored the boy who had thick black hair and mysterious grey eyes.

She looked at her son as he played with the family dog, Hector, and smiled softly. But looking at her bond mark, she was overcome with loss and sorrow.

He should be here.

But he was gone. Gone before she could even tell him about being pregnant and the grief of losing the one person who had actually loved her and treated her like a person aside from Clint and Barney... It had broken her.

She'd nearly killed herself because of it. Eva remembered how she had taken an overdose of painkillers when Clint had come to check on her and found her unconscious. Eva had felt so ashamed. She'd thought she had nothing to live for after losing her soulmate and then being told she might lose her baby as well… That had been the worst days of her life. She toyed with her necklace, a gift from James after they mated for the first time.

"I miss you," she whispered sadly to her bond mark, as if he would hear her words.

He would have loved Diego. Before he was captured by HYDRA and lost his arm, as well as his memory of them due to extreme experimentation and following recovery surgeries, they had spoken about having their own litter. And then they took him from her. He wanted a big family, as did she. But after she lost him to the drugs HYDRA had piled into him, she hadn't been the same...

* * *

**_S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, New York, 2001…_ **

_Eva could've vomited when she entered the theatre. James was lying on the operating table, his left arm missing. His shoulder showed signs of various operations, leaving little time of the skin grafts to heal properly. She looked to the porter standing at the door. "Go to Director Fury. Request for Project Starkiller to be initiated for possible limp replacement for Sergeant Barnes," she requested before making her way over to where her mate lay on the operating table._

_"Keep him on blood infusions as I try to stop the bleeding," she ordered as she began the operation to stem the blood loss._

_She managed to the stop the blood loss. Her eyes burned with tears as she saw what those HYDRA bastards had done to her mate and stroked his cheek tenderly. The orderly came back and confirmed that Fury had given her the go ahead._

_Eva began slowly but carefully giving James a new left arm, a cybernetic arm that was made out of vibranium and invincible against anything aside from vibranium._

_Once the operation was done, she had him brought into a room. She sat by his bedside with tears silently swimming down her tanned cheeks as she looked at him._

_He was still hers but he wouldn't remember her, only see her name on his right arm and would never know their baby._

_"I love you. Please remember me, Jamie," Eva whispered softly and kissed his forehead. She left the necklace that she had made for him on the table with a wolf on it, before leaving._

_She sobbed as Clint pulled her into his arms, mourning for her mate who wouldn't remember her._

_"He won't remember me, will he?" she whispered hoarsely against Clint's chest as he held her close._

_Clint pressed his lips to Eva's head. "No," he answered. "He barely recognised me."_

_Eva couldn't stop the sob escaping her mouth. "I'm pregnant, Clint," she whispered._

_Clint's eyes slid closed. "I got your back, hermanita," he whispered. "I've got you," he promised, slowly rocking her as she cried for the loss of her mate…_

* * *

**_Mexico City, Mexico, 2006..._ **

James walked into the hospital, dressed in the all-black uniform used by the hospital's security system. He couldn't help but feel nervous as the security head, Javier Rodriguez, showed him around. "Señor, you will be working mainly with the A&E surgeons," Javier informed him.

James nodded. "How many surgeons?" he asked.

"One," Javier replied, surprising James. "There's a war going on. Not many surgeons left for the public."

James nodded in understanding. "I understand. What's the surgeons name?"

"Señoira Eva Santos. American trained doctor. She's an Omega. But she doesn't act like one."

"What do you mean by that?" James asked curiously as they entered the break room and sat down, both having a coffee from the coffee machine in the corner.

"Señoira Santos is one of the best surgeons that we have. Since last year she's managed to save fifty nine lives out of sixty lives. She's saved people from being blown up, gunshots to the chest, leg, stomach and even some near fatal head wounds. The city is a war zone and it's not helping that we have the Dios Los Muretos Gang fighting the Rising Sun Gang over territory and drugs. Hell even some of the cops are corrupt and God only knows what they'll do to keep other people quiet," Javier said grimly as he drank his coffee and looked at James's left metal arm. "Were you in the army?" he inquired curiously and James nodded as he looked at his metal arm then.

"Yeah, you could say that," James said quietly as he then looked at Eva's name that glowed on the inside of his forearm. She was close.

"I'm sorry," Javier said sympathetically and he nodded at him his thanks before he went to take his shift.

James stood up and began his own shift. He saw that half of the hospital beds were filled up with people who had clearly been injured during the gang war while nurses and doctors checking on the patients.

While he was doing his rounds, he found Eva. She was dressed in black jeans, low heeled boots, with a white doctor's coat, her long black hair pulled up in a loose bun. His mate.

'I found her,' he thought as he felt his Alpha-side growled at the sight of her. He stood out of the way as he watched her work on a young child that had been brought in. The child whimpered and was looking for her parents. Eva was kind and gentle with the girl. She healed whatever broken bones the little girl had before cleaning her cuts.

James swallowed, controlling his urges as the girl's mother arrived, thanking Eva profoundly. Eva smiled and requested a nurse to help them up to the children's words. As they left, Eva turned and stopped when she spotted James watching her. "James," she breathed, not believing her eyes.

James noticed her reaction. He closed the gap between them, not really caring about protocol. Before he could say anything, she led him to her office, shutting the door after him. She closed the blinds and looked at him. "What are you doing here, James?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

James opened his mouth. "We've met before?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

Eva's heart broke; he still didn't remember her. "Yes. Before. Before what happened to your arm," she answered honestly.

James's heart was racing. He remembered soft smiles and slow nights but he couldn't put a face to the person in his dreams. "Eva," he whispered, stepping closer when he smelled the pain coming from his Omega.

She stayed still as he approached her, her primeval instincts already returning to what they had before his injuries. "Jamie," she answered as he cupped her face with his flesh hand. She could see her name glowing on the inside of his arm. Like the way hers was glowing too. "Why are you here?" she asked again.

James frowned. "People want to hurt you. The organisation I work for want to protect you," he answered.

Eva let out a humourless chuckle. "S.H.I.E.L.D. sent you," she stated rather than asked. "I don't need you protection, Jamie" she informed him.

"Doesn't matter, Eva. I'm staying here and you aren't stopping me from protecting you. You are my mate," James said quietly and Eva couldn't argue against that as she looked at him and felt his metal hand cup her face.

She didn't flinch away; she hadn't seen him for so long and he was right here in front of her. It was taking all of her energy not to kiss him but she knew that they needed to discuss things first as she sat down on the grey sofa in her office.

"I remember you," James said quietly as he looked at her, causing her to look up as he sat down beside her.

"What do you remember?" Eva asked quietly as she looked at her Alpha. She so badly wanted to touch his face and see if he was real.

"Being at a beach and... in a house," James said thoughtfully as he remembered his dreams with Eva and she looked at him with shimmering dark brown eyes; he remembered the house that they had lived in before he had been attacked and lost his arm and his memories of them.

"We lived there," Eva whispered finally. "For six months. Before you were captured by HYDRA and lost your arm." She looked at him. "They experimented with your mind. You barely recognised Clint when Captain Rogers rescued you. If you didn't recognise Clint, there was less of a chance you'd recognise me."

James frowned. "Why did you leave?" he asked, frowning. "If we were bonded, why did you leave?"

Eva bit her bottom lip. "I was pregnant," she finally answered. "I couldn't stand the thought of having your pup but having you forget about us."

James frowned and looked down at his metal arm. "So you left because they took my memories. Not because I lost my arm."

Eva reached over and took his metal hand in his. "Jamie… I was the one who operated on you when they brought you in," she informed him. "I was able to heal the damage so that I could attach the metal arm. Project Starkiller. It was an initiation that I developed under Nick's sanction and using Stark designs to have metallic limbs available to give to agents if they lost them in the line of duty." She brushed her thumb over his knuckles. "Your arm would never have been a problem for me, Jamie," she promised.

James frowned. "I've been feral since this," he informed her, making her eyes widen in disbelief. "I wondered why. You know, since being bonded means that you will only go feral after you've lost your mate. And I couldn't remember you. And you weren't there."

Eva brought his hand to her lips, her eyes sliding closed. If she hadn't left, he wouldn't have gone feral. "I'm so sorry, Jamie," she whispered.

James shook his head. "Our… Where is our pup?" he finally asked.

Eva smiled. "Diego Francisco Santos-Barnes," she told him. "He's with his nanny, Andreia, while I'm working."

"What does he look like?" James asked quietly but he couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the thought of having a pup with his mate.

"He looks like you but has my skin tone. I named him Diego as it means James in Spanish," Eva explained softly as she looked at his metal hand and held it tightly. "Francisco is for Clint, because Clint is his Godfather."

James swallowed as he watched her stand up and walk over to her desk. She came back with a photo of a four-year-old boy with short black hair, olive skin and the grey eyes that matched James'. This was his pup, his son.

"Does he know about me?" James asked finally and Eva looked away for a minute but he cupped her face in his metal hand so she couldn't turn away.

"I told him that you were gone. I'm so sorry, Jamie... I never meant to hurt you or our pup," Eva confessed, heartbroken, as tears began to slowly fall down her cheeks. She tried to wipe her eyes before James stopped her and wiped her tears away himself.

"Please don't cry, I hate seeing you cry," James implored as he pulled her into his arms then and inhaled her wild roses scent. He had a family, he had a son. That was why Javier had mentioned that Eva wasn't seeing anyone; everyone assumed her mate had died. "I'm here now. I'm not leaving you or our pup," James promised firmly as he wiped her eyes.

Eva leaned against her Alpha's forehead. "I missed you so much," she whispered, her voice hoarse from tears.

James smiled softly and cupped her face with his metal hand. "Stay?" he asked, the one word meaning so much.

"Yes," she answered, smiling when he kissed her deeply. She automatically let him control the kiss, her Omega side submitting to her Alpha. He cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss, wanting to feel as close to her as possible without breaking any indecency laws. He pulled her so she was straddling his lap, their mouths working together.

Eventually they broke the kiss to breathe, leaning against each other. James smiled as he opened his eyes, watching Eva carefully. "As much as I want to take you right now," he started, watching her carefully. "I think that would be too forward before we figure out everything," he finished.

Eva smiled and shook her head. "Always the gentleman," she teased, pecking his lips softly. "But I agree. And I want you to meet Diego before we mate again," she added, almost phrasing it like a question.

James grinned. "After work?" he asked, hopeful.

Eva chuckled and nodded; her mate was a pup. "Yes. After work," she promised, trailing her hands through his hair. When he had been taken by HYDRA, his hair had grown out but he had changed it since then, back to his normal short cut hair style. "I've waited for this for such a long time."

James grinned and kissed her again. Eva smiled as she leaned into his embrace. He held her tightly and buried his face into her thick curly hair, just simply wanting to hold her tightly.

"I've waited a long time too, Eva," James whispered quietly and held onto her tightly, loving the feel of her in his arms and kissed her again then before reluctantly letting her go.

She smiled up at him and watched as he left, a smile on her face as she fixed herself up before heading off to check on her patients to while James had gone outside.

* * *

During his afternoon break, James joined Eva in her office as they shared a plate of nachos and a pizza each. Eva looked outside the window wearily. "It's too quiet," she stated quietly. Suddenly, they heard a noise outside the office, causing them to head outside. They found a young man searching for the medicine cabinet.

"What are you doing?" Eva asked calmly, causing the man to look up in surprise at seeing her and James.

"Need medicine, bitch!" the younger man, a Beta by the smell of him, snarled at Eva. He pulled out his gun, pointing it at her. Eva froze before James pushed her out of the way. The two men shot at each other, James' bullet hitting the man between the eyes.

James snarled in pain, looking down at his flesh arm, finding the gang member's bullet lodged in his arm.

Eva went over and checked the pulse of the man before other security staff arrived. "You can take him down to the morgue," she told them, leaving no room for argument. She stood up and walked back over to her mate. "Your lack of self-preservation hasn't changed," she hissed at him before Javier arrived.

"Great shot, Señor," Javier said to James as Eva checked his arm. "You'll need to get that looked at," he added with a concerned frown.

"I'll do it," Eva stated, glaring at James when he opened his mouth to protest. Javier bit back a smirk and nodded, leaving the two alone. Eva pulled James into her office, grabbing a tweezers, a bowl, bandages and antiseptic alcohol as they moved.

She sat him down on her desk. She took a scissors and cut the fabric off the short sleeve of his flesh arm. She poured some alcohol on the wound before beginning to fish out the bullet. James remained reasonably quiet as she worked, watching her face as she removed the bullet from his arm. He could smell her fear, knowing that she was afraid that the bullet could've hit him in much worse places.

"Eva," he whispered as she pulled out the bullet from his arm, tossing it into the bowl. She didn't respond, placing the bullet in the bowl with the tweezers. She healed his arm before stopping to leave a scar and looked up at him.

"Want me to leave it like that to remind you of the fights we used to have?" she asked, a bite to her tone.

James opened his mouth to reply before stalling when he smelt his Omega's scent suddenly began to sweeten; more deeper and potent than he remembered in his dreams. "Eva?" he started, pulling back slightly as she braced herself against the desk, her knuckles pure white as she gripped the cheap wood. His Alpha instincts began to take over, his feral side still present despite finding his mate again; it was calling for him to claim her once more.

Eva whimpered as her heat suddenly hit her, a sudden sharp pain starting in her lower stomach, something she hadn't felt in four years due to using suppressants since she had lost James. "Jamie," she gasped, whimpering as he breathed deeply beside her. Her heats had always been hard for her. But with her Alpha so close, she was practically in agony. She desperately needed him to knot inside her; she hadn't had him in almost five years.

"We're going home," James started, fixing his shirt before pulling her into his arms. "Now."

* * *

**_Mexico City, Mexico, 2001…_ **

_Clint frowned at her in concern. "Are you sure you want to this?" he asked._

_Eva swallowed and looked down at the baby in her arms; he was the image of his father. "I can't stay here, Clint," she finally answered, looking up at her oldest friend. "I can't stay here when Jamie doesn't even remember me. It hurts too much."_

_Clint nodded in understanding. He leaned down and kissed Eva's head before kissing Diego's. "If you ever need anything, let me know," he informed her. "Anything at all, you call me."_

_Eva smiled; in all the years she had known him, Clint had never lost his caring side. "I promise," she answered._

_Clint sighed and nodded. "Good luck, Eva," Clint told her._

_She smiled and nodded, kissing his cheek. "I hope you find your own mate soon, Clint."_

_"So do I," he answered. "I'll see you again, Eva," he told her._

_"Until next time, Clint," she replied. She held her son close as she walked up to the plane waiting to bring her out of America. And away from James…._


	3. Reunion Part Two

Eva drove them home as James was pretty much determined to pull her clothes off. She parked outside the house before they stepped out and into the house. Before she could even close the door, James was on her and had her pinned up against the wall, growling roughly as he kissed her long and hard.

She wrapped her hands in his short dark brown hair, gasping heavily. She held onto him as he picked her up and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. He pulled off her shirt and looked at her softly tanned skin before placing kisses on the skin, causing her to moan softly as she gripped his shoulders tightly.

"Jamie," Eva moaned softly.

"Do you want me to stop, Eva?" he asked quietly, leaning back as he looked at her. She shook her head, her black curls tickling his face as he pulled off her jeans and left her only in her underwear.

"Don't you dare stop. I need you, Jamie," Eva said breathlessly and James smiled as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again, long and passionately.

She pulled off his shirt and looked at his metal left arm. He saw her looking and made to move it away from her but she stopped him firmly.

"No, I want to see all of you Jamie and this is a part of you," Eva said softly as she cupped his face tenderly in her hands, overjoyed to have him back with her.

"You're mine," James whispered roughly as he nipped at her neck, biting it softly as he wrapped his arms around her and began pulling off her black bra.

Eva tossed her head back, baring her throat in submission to her Alpha. She let him strip off her bra before bringing her hands to the waistband of his pants, deftly undoing the button before pushing them down over the curve of his ass. "Please. Please, mi amor," she whispered.

James grinned and began to kiss down her body but she pulled him back up. "No. No foreplay. I've been without you. I need you to claim me, mi amor," she whispered, her voice no more than a whisper, begging for her mate to claim her. She whimpered and spread her legs, needing to feel her Alpha claim her, to knot inside her.

James reached between them, sliding two fingers inside her to test just how ready she was for him. "You're so wet for me, mi amor," he whispered huskily, grinning at her. "So wet."

"Please. Jamie. No…. Foreplay," she gasped, her body arching as her Alpha slid his fingers in and out of her. "Need you… Please," she whimpered. "Please, take me."

"Okay," he whispered. He removed his fingers from her before lining himself with her entrance. "Mine," he growled in her ear possessively, pushing in with one thrust.

Eva cried out in pleasure, her mouth finding her Alpha's scent gland and biting down as he let her adjust to his length inside her. She moaned against his skin when he slowly began to move inside her. He leisurely pulled out so only his knot was inside her. Then he pushed back in until there was no space between them.

She moaned and offered her throat in submission, whimpering in pleasure when he bit down on her skin, leaving yet another of his own marks on her olive skin. Her nails dug into the hard muscled plains of his shoulders. Her legs wrapped firmly around his waist, grounding him to her body.

James brought one hand between their chests, his fingers trailing over his name imprinted on her chest. "Mine," he growled again, bending down and biting down on the skin just above the bond mark.

"Yours," Eva agreed, her throat bared in total submission for her Alpha to claim. Her mate kissed along her gland, growling possessively when she moaned and whimpered in approval of his claim; it was if they had never been apart.

Eva's back arched as her orgasm unexpectedly overtook her body, her voice loud and high-pitched when she cried out his name. James bended his own back to suck on her nipples while continuing to thrust inside her, the Alpha planning to make his mate orgasm a second time before tying the knot inside her.

The Omega realised what her Alpha was planning to do, whimpering in desire at the prospect of her mate tying the knot inside her for the first time in almost five years. "Please," she murmured, dragging her nails along his back. She was chasing her Alpha's knot desperately.

James growled as he sensed Eva's second orgasm coming on; her scent became sweeter and more potent to his nostrils, her heat overcoming her body. He removed his mouth from where they were sucking on her left nipple and moved to her ear. "Don't come yet, Eva," he ordered huskily. "You're not allowed come until I tell you to."

Eva whimpered at James' order, tightening her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to him. "Jamie… mi amor," she moaned, bringing one of her hands up to his black hair. "Please…. mi amor…."

He replied with quick, deep thrusts inside her, the need to knot her and claim her in heat too much. "Now, mi amor," he ordered, his own body on the verge of taking over.

Eva screamed his name, her second orgasm stronger than her first. She sobbed in relief when James' knot swelled inside her, her mate howling her name as he released deep inside her. He thrust a few more times inside her, shallow thrusts before collapsing on top of her. They both panted heavily as they recovered from their mating session.

Eventually, James finally pulled out of Eva after his knot had deflated, making his Omega whimper at the loss of the warmth of his cock inside her. James smiled at her softly, peppering gentle kisses over her face as he twisted to lay on his back. Once he was comfortable, he pulled his mate into his arms. The Latina immediately went into the safety and warmth she in his arms, curling up into his embrace. Her head was placed in the crook of his neck, her legs linked between his, making her body as small as possible in his large, muscular arms.

"You're perfect, mi amor," James whispered against Eva's temple. "You are so perfect."

Eva blushed at James' words. "Thank you, mi amor," she whispered against the almost pale skin of her mate's neck. She smiled as he bent his head and caught her lips in a soft kiss, the Omega whimpering in approval as her Alpha kissed her deeply, she could still feel the effects of her heat; not that it would leave her for another four days. She'd need to call in sick – her Staff head would understand why.

"You are most welcome, mi amor," he whispered, smiling against her lips. "We do have five years to make up for," he added cheekily.

Eva laughed then at his teasing and snuggled into him, breathing in his scent happily as James ran a hand through her mane of wild black curls that were over his chest. She was his and he loved her so much. He wished he could remember more of her, cursing HYDRA for taking his memories away from him.

"I wasn't too rough, was I?" James asked worriedly as he looked her over for any bruises.

Eva laughed softly then at him and kissed him tenderly. "No, Jamie, you weren't," she promised reassuringly.

James smiled as he held her tightly and kissed her forehead; he was so happy to have her and his son. Speaking of Diego. "Where is Diego?" he asked curiously and Eva smiled. She pointed behind her towards the balcony overlooking the backyard where their little boy was playing catch with a black German shepherd while his nanny watched over him. James smiled and climbed out of bed, pulling on his pants as Eva got dressed again. He would've watched her but he was too busy staring at his son who was unaware that his father was watching him from the balcony. That was his son.

Eva smiled as she stepped up beside him, pressing her lips to the spot between his bare shoulders, her hands making their way around his waist. "He's perfect, Eva," he whispered, bringing her left hand up to his chest, interlacing his metal fingers with her flesh ones.

Eva smiled and chuckled. "He's your son. Stubborn," she whispered against his skin.

James grinned. "You like that about me," he replied, unable to tear his eyes away from his son. "You said so yourself. The first night we made love on the beach."

Eva raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You were such an exhibitionist at times," she commented. "You liked the thrill of being caught."

James' grin widened. "Sounds like you did too."

"I am a firm believer that Diego was conceived on that beach," she answered. "It's still under an alias we used," she added.

James finally turned his head to look at his mate. "That an offer?" he asked, pulling her so she was against the balcony wall.

Eva smirked knowingly at her Alpha. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Barnes," she told him.

He grinned and leaned down, kissing her softly. She smiled and brought her hands up to trail her fingers through his hair. She moaned into the kiss, letting him rock her. "I have missed you," she whispered as she slowly pulled away from him.

James nuzzled her neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered against her skin.

Eva shook her head. "Not your fault," she whispered, pulling back to look at him. "You hold the world on your shoulders and expect everyone to look the other way."

James smiled. "Can't expect Steve to do that all on his own," he whispered.

"You and Clint are the goddamn same," she stated, shaking her head. "Loyal to a tee. Taking what you believe is your fair share of the problems."

James smirked. "Clint found his mate. They're officially bonded. Expecting quadruplets. She's Russian," he informed her.

Eva grinned sheepishly. "I know. I keep in touch. Every month. Video calls on Diego's birthday," she confessed.

James tensed. "Looks like Clint and I need to have a little talk," he grumbled.

"Don't be like that," she whispered, cupping her face between her hands. "I asked Clint not to tell you. He's always been like a big brother to me."

James sighed. "Can I meet our son?" he asked, changing the subject.

Eva knew what he was doing but said nothing. She leaned back and gave him an once-over. "Put on a shirt," she told him with a smirk. "Then I'll introduce you to our son."

James smiled. "You sure you want me to put on a shirt?" he teased.

Eva smirked. "Being a mom with a pup dependant on you means my heat doesn't affect me as much," she informed him.

James simply laughed and pulled on a black shirt. They headed outside where Diego at James curiously then and quietly walked over.

"Who is that, Mama?" Diego asked curiously as he looked at James who stood a few feet away so he wouldn't intimidate his young son who was looking up at him.

"Diego, this is your father," Eva explained softly as she crouched down to look her son in the eye. "He came back to us and he's staying here with us," she added before she guided him to where James stood.

"Hi Diego," James greeted, copying Eva by crouching down and looking his son in the eye. "You look like your Mama," he commented.

"Mama says that I look like you. That I have your eyes and hair," Diego replied softly and James smiled at him.

"I think you look more like your mother than me, little pup," James said softly before Diego hugged him tightly.

Eva smiled as she watched them bond happily, wiping her eyes and stroked Hector affectionately.

He was back; her Jamie was back.

She smiled at Andreia as the nineteen-year-old stood beside her. "That's Diego's father?" the younger woman asked.

"Yes," Eva replied, raising an eyebrow when Anderia smirked. "What is it?" she asked wearily.

"You smell like him. It's masking your heat," Anderia answered honestly. "It didn't take long for him to claim you," she added cheekily.

Eva mock-glared at the younger Omega. "Like you don't smell like Sergio half the time," she replied cheekily, smirking smugly when the other woman's jaw dropped.

Anderia shook her head. "I feel like I've been put on my place," she commented dryly.

Eva grinned. "Sergio is probably very happy that you smell like him," she added, smirking when Anderia's eyes widened. "He may be a Beta but he has Alpha traits."

"You're not going to stop teasing me are you?" Anderia asked with a sigh.

"Nope," Eva replied, her eyes falling back to her mate and pup as the latter showed the former how to throw the ball for Hector properly. "But I guess I might be distracted from doing so," she added.

Anderia turned her own gaze back to father and son and she grinned. "Yeah. That sight is distracting, Senoira."

* * *

Later, Eva watched James attended to their son. Diego was resting on top of James' chest, his eyes slipping closed before quickly opening again. Eva had her head resting on James' shoulder, smiling at the sight of their son falling asleep on his father's chest.

It was comforting seeing James and Diego bond so well, even though Diego hadn't known his father that long. She smiled as James moved slightly so Diego was more comfortable. Eventually, James picked Diego up and took him bed while Eva began turning out the lights throughout the house for the night. As James laid Diego down in his bed, Hector settled down at the end of Diego's bed.

"Good night, my little pup," James whispered quietly and kissed his son's forehead tenderly. Eva came in, quietly making her way over to the bed and kissed Diego's forehead before leaving the door slightly open.

James felt Eva lace his hands with hers, not even flinching when his metal hand ghosted over her wrist. She led him to the master bedroom. He sat down on the bed and watched her walk over to a small book case.

"When was he born?" James asked quietly as he watched Eva take out a photo album of when Diego had been a baby before making her way over to the bed, climbing in beside him.

"July 20th," Eva replied softly as James looked at a photo of Eva holding Diego in her arms, soft tufts of dark brown hair sticking up on his scalp.

James pulled her down beside him on the bed, pressing his lips to her forehead as she turned the pages. "I wish I had been here for you," he whispered as he spotted a picture of Clint holding his son. "At least you had Clint for a while."

Eva bit her bottom lip. "Clint was abused by his father," she informed him. "He protected me in the orphanage. Even though he's deaf." James looked at her. "Clint's always been like a brother to me. He was the only person who knew about us. And I love him for being my family. But he's bonded now, his mate expecting their pups. You have nothing to worry about," she told him.

James frowned. "You've just explained why he is so protective of Eva," he eventually stated, making Eva grin.

"He's probably driving her mad with his protectiveness," Eva commented with a grin. Then she moved to straddle him, taking the album and placing it on the bedside locker. "But I think we will both agree than we have lost time to make up for," she murmured as she kissed him.

James growled against her lips, the smell of her heat returning to its prominence and filling his nostrils. He pulled her against him and growled as he nipped and sucked at her neck, inhaling her scent.

Eva didn't seem to mind as she ran her hands over his toned back. He leaned into her and placed kisses over her soft body, paying attention to her breasts; they were always so sensitive.

Eva shuddered against him, her black hair covering them. He cupped her face with his metal hand. "Mine," James growled roughly as he pulled off her black nightgown and left her naked to his eyes. She blushed but James thought she looked beautiful being naked in front of him.

She made to pull a blanket over herself but James stopped her then and gently moved it away from her soft body. "I want to see all of you, Eva," James whispered roughly. His primal Alpha side was coming out as he pulled off the black sweatpants and left himself bare in front of her.

Eva touched his cheek. "I'm yours Jamie, always yours," she whispered as he lowered her to the mattress beneath him. "Always."

James grinned and kissed her deeply. "I'm yours too, Eva," he whispered against her lips. He broke the kiss and slowly made his way down her body. She arched into his touch as he sucked her left nipple into his mouth. She moaned, her eyes falling closed at the sensation of her mate's mouth on her body.

Eva wrapped one hand in his black hair, the other resting on his bare shoulder. "Eva," James moaned before taking her right nipple into his mouth, sucking on the hard nub hungrily. His mate gasped his name while trying to pull him closer to her. He continued to massage her left breast while bringing down his metal hand to tease her lower lips, testing how ready she was for him. He slowly made his way down her body, sniffing the smell of her heat.

She leaned up on her elbows before throwing her head back as James slid two fingers inside her, scissoring them as he mouthed at her clit teasingly. She brought her feet up, placing them on his shoulders, pulling his mouth closer to her. "Mi amor… mi amor," she begged.

James grinned against her sex before hooking three of his fingers up against her upper walls, making the Latina cry out in pleasure. He lapped at her clit then pulled away, his grey eyes locked on her hazel ones. "Come for me, mi amor," he ordered, grinning up at her before sucking her clit back into his mouth. She came hard, screaming his name loud as her back arched high off the mattress, her walls clenching hard around his long, thick fingers.

Eva collapsed back onto the mattress, panting heavily as she tried to recover from her orgasm. She brought her hands to her Alpha's hair, massaging his scalp lazily as he kissed his way up her body until he was leaning over her. "Hi Gorgeous," he greeted, smiling at her lovingly as he pecked her lips lovingly. "I love you, Eva," he whispered, kissing her gently.

"Te amo," she replied, grinning at him happily as she nuzzled his scent gland lovingly. "But I need you to fuck me please."

"Fuck. Eva," he growled as she wrapped her small hand around the base of his cock and positioned him at her entrance.

"Take me, mi amor," she replied, kissing his scent gland as she pumped his length. "I'm all yours, mi amor. Claim me."

James growled appreciatively, sliding inside her. "I'm yours, Eva," he murmured, nuzzling her scent gland while she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Mi amor, mi amor," she moaned, scratching her nails along her mate's scalp and back. "Fuck me. Hard. Please. Want you to knot inside me."

The Alpha slowly pulled out of his mate until the head of his cock was still inside her before pushing back inside her, making her cry out in pleasure at his actions. He set a slow but rough pace, his lips pressed against her scent gland. The Omega wrapped her arms around her Alpha's neck, moving her head to kiss him as they moved together, working together for their mutual pleasure.

Eva leaned into his touch, her Omega side whimpering and begging for her Alpha to fill her up. To claim her. "Mark me," she whimpered. "Make sure everyone knows I'm yours."

James complied, pressing his lips to her bond mark before biting down on her scent gland, leaving purple bite marks on her tanned skin. "Eva," he whispered hoarsely, his Alpha side growling as Eva's walls tightened around his fingers. "Come for me," he ordered, reaching between them and flicking her clit with his archery roughened fingers. "Come for me, mi amor."

Eva's whole body arched high off the mattress as she came hard, screaming her Alpha's name loudly. He continued to thrust inside her, prolonging her orgasm. The Omega brought her hands to James' hair, her nails dragging along his scalp, just the way he liked it.

He groaned, kissing his way along her neck and scent gland until he moved down and reached her full, firm breasts. He switched between lapping at her nipples, spending time on each. She moaned in reply, pulling him closer to her. He smirked at her, watching her eyes close at the sensation of his mouth sucking on her sensitive nipples.

"Please… mi amor…. mi amor… Jamie," she begged. "Knot inside me… mi amor… Please."

James thrust once more inside her before stilling as his knot swelled and released inside his Omega, triggering her own orgasm. He bit down on her scent gland as they came together, her walls milking him as she cradled him in her arms.

"Te amo, mi amor," she murmured, peppering kisses along her mate's neck and scent gland. She brought one hand to his hair, massaging his scalp lovingly.

"Te amo, mi amor," he whispered, wrapping her closer to him. He nuzzled her neck lovingly, both of them taking time to enjoy the feeling of each other.

Eva didn't flinch or shy away from his metal hand that wrapped around her waist. She leaned into him and kissed the spot where his scent gland lovingly.

Outside there was a light breeze. James pulled the sheets around them and held her tightly as she ran her hands over his toned torso and rested her head over his heart.

His Alpha-side still wanted her but he had enough until the morning. He held her tightly and ran a hand through her thick glossy black curls that was spilled across his chest.

"Jamie?" Eva asked quietly and James looked down to see Eva looking up at him with dark hazel eyes.

"Yes, gorgeous?" he asked softly as he nuzzled her neck tenderly, loving the sensation of her skin against his. Not to mention that she wasn't flinching from where his metal hand rested on her right breast, gently kneading. In fact she was purring in content at his touch.

"I'm glad you found me," she whispered softly and kissed him lovingly on the lips before curling into him.

James smiled. "Me too Eva, me too," he whispered quietly, holding her close as they slowly fell asleep as they were wrapped around each other….


	4. Phone Calls To Friends

Eva groaned as she heard her phone ring. She reached over and grabbed the phone, less grumpy when she recognised Clint's name on the phone. She pressed a kiss to James' shoulder before climbing out of bed. She pulled on James' shirt from last night and walked downstairs as she answered the phone.

"Hello, Clint," she greeted.

"Hi, Eva. How are you and Diego?" he asked.

"We're good," she replied, turning on the coffee machine. "How's Natasha?" she asked.

"Tired and eager for sex but she's doing fine. The quadruplets are kicking like hell," Clint said amused and Eva laughed softly at him.

She had been that way while pregnant with Diego. He couldn't stop kicking at night and it had been reassuring as he was a very active baby while he had been in her womb.

"So... How's Bucky?" Clint inquired and Eva smiled softly.

"He's fine, Clint. But he…. Jamie feels guilty for not being here. Even though it wasn't his fault," Eva said softly and Clint smiled sadly.

"I'd be like that if the same ever happened to Tasha and I," Clint replied. "I'm glad you found each other," he told her.

"You knew SHIELD were sending him?" Eva asked.

"I was asked whether I thought was the best way to help you," Clint answered honestly. "I thought it was the best option. James was feral. And the only way to stop him from going out of control was you."

Eva bit her bottom lip. "How bad was he?" she asked. She heard Clint swallow over the phone. She knew it wasn't a good sign.

"He almost killed Steve," Clint finally answered. "He lost control of his anger. Steve tried to stop him. If it wasn't for Sharon going into labour and distracting them… I don't know what would've happened."

Eva's eyes slid closed. James had suffered so much when she and Diego had left. She had been the reason why James had gone feral. She felt ashamed.

"He's better now Clint. He's not hurting anyone here," Eva told him, causing Clint to smile. "I never stopped loving him."

"As long as you're happy," Clint told her softly and Eva smiled.

"Send my love to Natasha and the others," Eva said softly and Clint laughed. They spoke for a few more minutes, discussing every over the past month. It was nice to speak with Clint again.

Eva turned when she heard her son's feet pitter-patter against the floor. She turned and smiled at Diego. "Uncle Clint?" he asked, smiling at his mother.

"Want to say hello to your Godson?" Eva asked Clint as Diego raced over to her and climbed up into the seat beside her.

"Of course. Gotta say hello to my favourite Godson," Clint replied.

Eva turned the phone onto loudspeaker. "Hi, Uncle Clint!" Diego shouted, grinning when Clint chuckled. "My daddy is here!"

"Yeah?" Clint asked, playing along with Diego. "Are you happy about having him there with you and your mama?"

"Yes," Diego answered, grinning happily.

Eva smiled at her son and looked up when she noticed a shadow in the doorway; James.

She smiled and walked over to him. He pulled her into him, his arms wrapping around her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling happily as he kissed her tenderly.

Eventually, they pulled away, smiling at each other. Eva leaned her head on James' chest, smiling as they both watched in silence as Diego spoke to Clint happily. Eventually, James came over to speak to him.

"Morning, Barton," James greeted.

"Morning, Barnes. How are you?" Clint replied.

"Better than I've been in a long time," James answered honestly. "I've got my beautiful mate and a little pup that looks like a mini me... Still can't believe I'm a dad," James said, smiling at his son when Diego climbed into his lap.

"I can't believe you were a dad before Steve. You know what he and Sharon are like," Clint replied cheekily.

James had the decency to blush. "That really wasn't _my_ fault," he mumbled, earning a raised eyebrow from his mate. "I walked in on Steve and his mate… eh… having an _adult_ pillow fight," he explained, making Clint snigger over the phone. "Shut up, Arrowboy," he growled at the archer.

Clint laughed over the phone. "It was amusing to watch you walk into the cafeteria afterwards," he stated. "And I caught it on camera too."

"I'm going to kill you, Barton," James growled before Eva placed a calm hand on her shoulder. He looked up at her and relaxed. He pressed his lips to the top of Diego's head, making Eva smile at her two boys.

"Clint… Don't you know how to behave?" Eva teased.

"Only for Natasha," Clint replied. "I have to go. Natasha has her final ultrasound in half an hour," he informed them.

Eva smiled. "Good luck, Clint. Let me know when I become an Auntie," she told him.

"Will do," Clint answered before bidding them his goodbyes.

Eva smiled at Diego as he showed James his drawings that he did with Anderia. She stood up to make breakfast, watching father and son out of the corner of her eye. They were both talking to each other happily. She smiled as she watched her mate and son bond while she cooked pancakes for all of them and served them up.

Diego put syrup over his (he was definitely his father's son) as James did the same. Eva chose a more healthier route with fruit. Hector ate his dog food before laying down and having a nap.

Eva glared at the sleeping dog. Lucky bastard.

"Daddy, what happened to your arm?" Diego asked quietly as he looked at James' cybernetic left arm. The little boy looked up at his mother with a worried expression. She smiled back at him encouragingly.

"I was in an accident and your mama helped me get a new one. Mama and Tony Stark built me new one," James explained gently.

Diego hugged his father tightly. "So... You're like Terminator?" he asked, pulling his head back to look at James with a grin.

Eva snorted, covering her mouth with her left hand.

James looked up and pouted at his mate who grinned back at him. She leaned forward and stole a kiss from him. "He's right," she whispered against his lips.

"You're so funny," he deadpanned, glaring at her smirk. "Why do you do this to me?"

Eva leaned in to whisper in his ear so Diego couldn't hear him. "Because I know what you'll do to show me whose boss," she purred in his ear seductively.

James bit back a groan at her words. "Tease," he replied, his voice low and husky.

"Always," Eva promised as she stood up and collected their plates. "Diego, do you have something to give to your father?"

Diego looked confused for a minute before grinning. "Yes, Mama," he replied, climbing down from James' lap and racing to his bedroom.

James looked at Eva before looking back at the door Diego had disappeared out. Before he could ask what Diego was going to show him, his son raced back inside with a drawing of the four of them, including Hector. James felt a smile curve his lips.

"Do you like it, Daddy?" Diego asked shyly and James laughed, nodding at his son. James held his son tightly to him and Diego grinned at him in delight.

"I love it, Diego. You're gonna be a master artist when you grow up," James whispered softly, ruffling his son's hair, making the little boy smile up at him.

Eva smiled at the scene fondly. Eventually, she took Diego to get dressed for the day.

As Eva was getting Diego dressed, James decided to ring Steve.

"Barnes, I swear to God, if you've shot anyone already, I'm going to come down there and strangle you myself," Steve greeted as he picked up his phone.

"Well hello to you too, Rogers," James replied, grinning at his best friend's words. "I have already shot someone. But he was threatening my mate, so you can forgive me for that."

Steve was speechless for a moment. "You haven't knocked her up yet, have you?" he finally asked.

James thought about it and decided that Steve's reaction would be worth it. "No. I did that five years ago three months before I lost my arm," he replied honestly.

"Holy shit, Bucky! You got Eva pregnant?!" Steve shouted, shocked and alarmed at what he was hearing.

James chuckled at his best friend's reaction. "Yeah, he looks like me but had Eva's smile and her perfect nose," he said proudly.

Steve cheered for his best friend happily. "I'm happy for you, Buck. You deserve it," Steve said softly.

James smiled just as he saw Eva come down with a dressed Diego. The little boy smiled when Hector woke up and made way over to the boy, licking Diego's face as he hugged the dog.

"Thanks, Steve," James said quietly; he was happy that Steve was happy for him.

"Daddy, is that Captain America?" Diego asked curiously and James smiled widely at his son.

"Yes, it is," James replied, turning the phone on loudspeaker. "Steve, I want to introduce you to my son, Diego," he told the Captain.

"Hello, Diego," Steve greeted.

"Hello, Captain America," Diego replied shyly, curling into James.

Eva smiled at the sight and walked over to her mate and son, pressing her lips to the back of James' head. He tilted his head back and smiled at her. She leaned down and kissed him, listening to her son open up and talking easily with Steve.

Life was looking up for them….

* * *

Eva watched Diego playing soccer with James, smiling at the sight. Hector was running around, barking as he ran.

Her cell beeped, making the doctor raise an eyebrow at it. Picking it up, she smiled at the message. "James!" she called, sitting up properly.

Her mate was immediately over beside her, a worried look over his face. "I'm an aunt," she commented, handing him the phone, showing him a picture Natasha and Clint's four pups. "Andrew James, Shay Francis, Lily Eva and Charlotte Ashley," she read out. "Natasha was already starting labour when she went to her ultrasound," she explained.

James opened his mouth. Then closed it again. "They gave two of their pups our names," he finally whispered, looking at her with wide eyes.

Eva smiled and nodded. "Yes," she answered, tears peeking at her eyes.

James pulled her into him as she hugged him tightly and cried happy tears for her best friend. He kissed her on the lips lovingly and she leaned into him further.

"I'd like having more pups with you," Eva admitted shyly.

James felt his cock harden at the thought of mating with his Omega putting more pups inside her; he'd love to give Diego more siblings to play with.

"You would?" James asked quietly as they watched Diego playing with a happy Hector, causing them to smile at the sight.

"I would. I love having children with you," Eva confessed, watching him carefully.

James stared at her long and hard before kissing her passionately then as Diego laughed happily at the scene. He pulled her into his lap and smiled and laughed, delighting in the way she leaned into his touch. They eventually pulled away, Eva leaning her forehead against hers. "I love you," she whispered, closing her eyes and enjoying the way James ran his hands over her body.

"I love you too," he whispered, moving his head to nuzzle her neck. "When should we start practising?" he asked cheekily.

Eva laughed and shook her head. "Cheeky bastard," she commented, pushing on his chest gently.

"Yours," he promised, grinning up at her.

"Yours," she repeated, grinning back at him. "I would like to visit Clint and Natasha soon," she informed him.

James raised an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

"Yes really. I have two nephews and two nieces to spoil rotten and speaking of which… I need to buy them presents along with Natasha and Clint," Eva said amused and Bucky laughed as he watched get go inside.

He took Diego and Hector inside as Eva made plans to go out in the town and get her nephews and nieces some presents.

* * *

Eva drove to the local stores and bought all the things that she knew Clint would like and things that she believed Natasha and their pups would like. While she was out, she got Bucky and Diego a gift each along with Anderia and the guard at the hospital. She hummed softly as she bought the gifts. She smiled at seeing a photo Clint had sent her of the little baby girl who had been named after her.

Lily Eva was dressed in a dark purple onsie with her name sewn on it, making Eva smile at the sight. "Say hello to Lily Eva, Auntie Eva," read the text.

"Cutie pie," Eva replied, smiling softly.

Another picture was sent. "And show Uncle Bucky and Diego, Andrew James," it read, showing the little boy in a deep red onsie. She smiled and paid for the presents before making her way back outside.

As she was putting the presents in the back of the car, she tensed as she felt someone watching her. She pulled her taser from her bag and turned to attack the person before halting. "Cisco!" she exclaimed, frowning at the teenager. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up behind me?"

"Sorry, Senoira Santos," he mumbled, looking down at his feet. "It's just that there are three men standing at the shop door, watching you like perverts," he informed her, making the woman raise an eyebrow as she noticed them. "I figure, if I pretended to be your hijo, they'd go away."

Eva took in the appearance of the orphaned Alpha she had taken under her wing when she saved his life two years ago. He was no longer the scrawny, injured thirteen-year-old that was brought to her in the middle of the night after his parents were murdered. He was now a lanky, but better built fifteen-year-old Alpha teenager who was capable of fitting more experienced Alphas and winning. Like her, he had powers that HYDRA would want but she had been able to teach him to hide his abilities.

Cisco could manipulate the elements of fire, air, water, earth and electricity. Eva had him wear brown contacts to hide his red irises from everyone.

She bit her lip in thought, her eyes glancing over to the three men. "Come on, hijo," she told him, signalling for him to get in the car.

"Si, Mama," Cisco replied and did as he was told, getting into the passengers' seat as Eva climbed into the drivers'. She quickly turned on the engine of the car and pulled off down the street, away from the three perverts watching her.

"You know, Senoira, that when you're in heat, you're not supposed to go out alone," he commented as she drove them to her home.

Eva sighed. "I know, Cisco. But I needed to get stuff. And my Alpha has already mated with me so I don't think anyone could argue with my marks," she commented, pointing at the very obvious hickey on her neck. "But I guess the smell of sex from last night has waned off a bit."

Cisco stared at her wide-eyed. "I thought you said you and your Alpha couldn't see each other again," he eventually stated, ignoring the pieces of his surrogate mother mating with someone. "And now he's here."

Eva smiled slightly. "The organisation I used to work for sent him. To protect me from the bad guys who killed my parents and yours," she informed him. "He had lost his memories because of the same bad guys. At the time, I was pregnant on Diego. So I left."

Cisco nodded. "Are you leaving?" he asked, watching her nervously. He didn't want her to leave. Everyone he had loved had left him. He didn't want to lose Eva and Diego too.

"If I was leaving," she started, looking at him as they arrived at her house. She pulled into the drive before looking at him straight in the eye. "I'd bring you with us," she promised.

Cisco couldn't believe his ears. "Really?" he asked, watching her for any sign of her lying.

"Really," she promised, smiling reassuringly at him.

Cisco grinned and hugged her before helping her bring in the presents. The boy stilled as he entered the living-room where James was standing, growling at the teenage Alpha.

"Jamie, relax," Eva ordered, stepping between her mate and Cisco. "This is Cisco. He's basically my adopted son. All I need is paperwork," she stated, glaring at her mate. She could see his feral side plain and simple.

James snarled and frowned. "He's an Alpha," he got out.

Before Eva or Cisco could say anything, Diego ran forward and hugged Cisco's legs. "Cisco!" the four-year-old exclaimed happily. Cisco grinned, placing the presents on the table before lifting his adopted little brother up into his arms.

"Hi, hermano," Cisco greeted, grinning at the boy.

Eva placed the other presents down on the table, making her way over to her mate. She cupped his face and made him look down at her. "He's like a son to me, Jamie," she told him. "He is no threat to you. His parents were killed the same way mine were."

James' eyes looked back over to Cisco and Diego before looking back down at Eva. "I'm sorry," he whispered sullenly.

"It's fine, Baby. But I love Cisco as if he's my own son and I want to take him with us if we do end up leaving," Eva replied calmly as James relaxed slightly at her words.

He nuzzled her neck tenderly and sighed heavily against her skin. He played with a few loose black curls that had fallen from her ponytail and cradled her close as she stroked his face tenderly.

"We're being watched," he informed her finally, causing Eva to look up in concern as they headed into the kitchen allowing Cisco and Diego to play with Hector.

"By HYDRA?" Eva asked concerned as she looked at her mate who was looking through the windows grimly.

He nodded as he looked at her seriously. "Anderia phoned earlier and said that a man had been seen around asking about you. I haven't seen him but I've seen a grey car parked across the street from us," Bucky said grimly and Eva nodded as she started cooking cheesy enchilada rice skillet and for dessert they would have sopapillas for dessert.

"Do you think we need to leave?" she asked quietly as she started making the dessert, her dark hazel eyes meeting James'.

He sighed heavily. "Maybe," he finally answered, slowly making his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to the back of her head. "I would recommend it, though."

Eva turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We need to protect Anderia and her family too," she stated.

"We can do that," he promised. "I'll keep you safe," he promised, kissing her softly.

"I know you will, Jamie. I know you'll keep us all safe," Eva replied quietly and kissed him tenderly before finishing dinner while Bucky checked on Cisco and Diego.

The two boys were playing with Hector. Eventually, they went to feed him and clean his water bowl before they all sat down at the dark wooden table and had dinner.

James felt his stomach growl as he ate the food that Eva had made. He distantly remembered Eva cooking a lot of Mexican and Spanish food dishes when they had been together. Looking around the table, he felt more James Barnes than his feral side. He loved Eva and Diego so much. He was even becoming fond of Cisco. He watched the three of them quietly while eating while Hector settle down at Diego's.

James couldn't help but feel protective of them; he wouldn't let anyone hurt his family…


	5. What Do You Think Family Is For?

**_Waverly, Iowa, USA, 2005…_ **

Eva watched James as he drove them through the Iowan terrain, bringing them closer to the Barton house. Diego was looking around curiously, Cisco doing the same. She had managed to get the adoption papers sorted so she could take Cisco with them.

They made their way to the Barton home. As they reached the house, they saw Clint come out with a baby boy that was dressed in a red onsie, looking completely adorable.

"Is that our little nephew?" Eva asked delighted as she looked at the newborn. Clint smiled and nodded.

“Say hello to Auntie Eva, Shay,” Clint whispered to his youngest son before letting Eva hold the boy.

Diego ran over to Clint and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. Clint smiled and hugged his Godson back. Cisco stood to the side, watching them carefully.

Clint smiled when he spotted Cisco. “And people say I need to stop taking in strays,” he commented, earning a half-hearted glare. He grinned. “Welcome to the family, Cisco,” he offered, holding his arms out to the fifteen-year-old. Cisco smiled and retrieved the hug from his uncle.

James smiled as he was given Andrew to hold while Natasha was watching the girls who were sleeping in their Moses basket in the kitchen.

“Was the flight okay?” Natasha asked as they entered the kitchen. She was in the middle of cooking, wearing one of Clint’s shirts and loose sweatpants.

“Better than expected,” Eva replied, grinning at her fellow Omega. “You look good for someone who gave birth to quadruplets two weeks ago,” she added.

Natasha smirked. “You know as well as I that Omegas are made for giving birth on multiple occasions,” she replied. “Lily and Charlotte are asleep for twenty minutes,” she added, leaning against the counter as the pasta cooked.

Eva smiled. “But they keep you up at night while the boys sleep?” she asked.

“I’m blaming Clint for that,” Natasha replied, smirking when Clint pouted at her.

Hector and Lucky were barking outside, chasing each other.

James had his eyes locked on Andrew who was blinking up at him. He gently ran his flesh hand along the little boy’s cheek; this was what he had missed out on. He has missed out on seeing Diego as a baby. It would always be his regret; he hadn’t been there with Eva for the birth of their pup or been there through her pregnancy. He'd be there for the rest of the pregnancies but he could never make up for not seeing his son for all those years. Now as he was watching Diego as he played with Cisco and said hello to his adoptive cousins. Cisco gently took Andrew in his arms and carried the newborn over to where Eva and Natasha were standing.

He looked at Eva who was talking to Natasha. He could picture his mate carrying his child inside of her and almost felt tempted to drag her away right there and then. He knew she wanted more pups. They already had Diego and Cisco but both of them wanted to give their boys more siblings. Another boy or a baby girl with his eyes and Eva's hair or his hair and her dark hazel eyes that reminded him of the woods.

James was brought out of his thoughts when Clint stood beside him. “You know she’s not going to disappear again, right?” the younger man stated, making James look at him.

“How are you so sure?” James asked, his eyes falling over to where Natasha and Eva were still talking, Natasha now holding Andrew.

“Because it broke her to leave in the first place,” Clint replied. Lucky and Hector had gotten Cisco and Diego to throw tennis balls for the dogs to chase, keeping the two boys busy. “She was in a bad way after your injuries. She almost lost Diego before he was even born,” he informed him. “Diego was the only thing that kept her going. I know she wouldn’t be able to live through that again.”

James turned to Clint, wide-eyed; Eva had never told him the specifics about what she went through after he lost his memories. He looked over at his mate who was laughing and shaking her head at whatever antics of Clint’s Natasha was telling her about.

"How did she nearly lose him?" James asked quietly, gripping the cup of coffee tightly in his hands, his grey eyes meeting Clint's stormy blue eyes.

"Something was up and she started bleeding. I rushed her to the hospital and Jennifer, Phil Coulson’s mate and head of the SHIELD medical department, found out it had something to do with the umbilical cord. It got stuck around his neck and they had to do something which meant doing surgery.... Eva almost didn't make it." Clint admitted grimly.

James felt the blood drain from his face, his heart pounding heavily as he swallowed. "My mate almost died along with my pup.... because of me?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Clint sighed. "It weren't your fault, James. Eva was under stress and Diego sensed his mom wasn't feeling great,” Clint stated, speaking gently.

James swallowed. It didn’t matter what Clint tried to tell him; he had hurt his mate.

Clint noticed and decided not to mention Eva’s almost suicide attempt two weeks following her operation on James. He didn’t need that on top of the guilt he already felt. “The past is the past, James. Don’t dwell on it. You don’t live there anymore,” the younger man advised.

James nodded, watching his mate as if she would disappear if he turned away for even a second…

* * *

 

Later that night, after bidding Cisco good night and putting Diego to bed, Eva led James to the bedroom Natasha and Clint had offered them. They younger couple had an early night, simply because they had gotten into the routine as Lily and Charlotte would be routinely awake during the night.

Eva sighed as she slowly stripped, turning to find James standing at the door. A frown marred his face. “Jamie?” she asked, walking over to him. She cupped his face between her hands, watching him carefully. “What’s going on, mi amor?”

James looked at her, trying to ignore his natural Alpha instinct to respond to her naked body. “I hurt you,” he finally managed to get out, making Eva frown in reply.

“What are you talking about, Jamie?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “You haven’t hurt me.”

"But I did hurt you, Eva. I caused you to nearly miscarry our cub. I almost made you lose your mind," James whispered.

"It's not your fault, Jamie....You're here now and that's what matters to me and to Diego to Cisco," Eva said firmly, making him look her in the eye.

He breathed heavily before he pulled her into him, kissing her long and hard. He growled her name softly as he pulled away from her lips and nuzzled her hair tenderly.

"Mine. My mate," James whispered quietly.

Eva nodded, smiling at him. "I'm yours and you’re mine,” she whispered against his lips. “I’m not going anywhere,” she promised.

James lifted her up, his hands cupping her ass firmly. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning against his lips. He walked them over to the bed, grinning when he slowly laid her down on the ground.

“We have to be quiet,” she mumbled against his lips as she pulled him down on top of her. “Don’t give Clint a reason to tease us,” she added.

James broke the kiss and raised an eyebrow. “I’m not the one who has a problem with keeping quiet, Doll,” he teased cheekily.

She raised an eyebrow at him in reply before pulling at his clothes. “Want to feel you, Jamie,” she whimpered.

James pulled back and quickly stripped himself of his clothing, grinning when Eva watched him with hungry eyes. Once he was naked, he pounced on her, quickly checking whether she was wet enough to take him with two fingers, finding her dripping for him.

As he entered her in one smooth thrust, Eva moaned his name, arching up into his touch. James set a steady pace. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily, as his cock stroked her tight wet walls.

"I missed you too... so very much," he whispered thickly. He pressed her into the bed further, her legs going around his waist.

Their moans and groans echoed off the walls, some needing to be concealed to try and stop from anyone hearing them. But it was like heaven. James had no memory of this over all the five years and Eva had been by herself. The closest either had gotten to this was just by sheer touch of themselves. And God, did it feel good to be like this over and over since their reunion almost two weeks ago.

"James," she whispered, her hands trailing through his hair. His cock was perfect size, hitting every spot she needed and more. She could feel her orgasm already building. "Fuck, James."

He chuckles against her neck. "Pretty sure you're not being quiet,” he teased cheekily.

"Shut it," she growled before kissing him again. If anything, the kiss fuelled him more. He thrust into her harder, less forgiving this time, ones that made her toes curl and her legs wrap tighter around him, taking him deeper. "Fuck, James! Fuck, yes, right there! Oh... my God. Ah!"

He was hitting that spot, every thrust brushing his pelvis against her clit. Added to the sensation of his cock pounding into her, she was going to come soon. His hands were gripping her hips tightly. She could almost feel his thrusts start to grow a bit unsteady.

"Fuck," he grunted roughly, his nails digging into her skin. Marks would definitely be left. "Goddamn... So tight. Warm. Fucking missed that."

James was someone who didn't curse as often as people thought. But around her? It was like a shitstorm. And she loved it. "Fuck, Jamie..."

"Wanna come, Baby?" he rasped against her ear. "Wanna come for me? Gotta wait a bit. Wanna come with you." Those words only made her want to come more but she did as she was told.

This was the James she knew. The Jamie she had fallen for all that time ago. The wild and untamed, dirty part. And she goddamn loved it. And just for shits and grins, she smiles through her pleasure and whispers in his ear, "Yes, mi alfa."

James growled lowly at her words as she began to whisper naughty fantasies in his ear. He reluctantly pulled out of her and twisted her onto her hands and knees before pushing back inside her. She howled before burying her face in the pillows, muffling her screams as her mate pounded into her.

James leaned down to growl in her ear. “You want me to pin you down like this. To make you remember exactly why you’re my bitch,” he told her, gripping her hips hard. “You’re mine. I can’t wait until you’re round with my pups again. Bet you’d look good with my pups.”

Eva moaned and nodded; there was a fifty-fifty chances she had gotten pregnant during her heat but she wouldn’t know for another week when she was due for her menstrual. Then she could tell him if she was over a week late. “Please. Yes. Jamie. Please. I’m yours. I’m your bitch.”

James bit down on her scent gland as he felt her quiver around his cock. Eva bit the pillow as she screamed, coming hard around her Alpha’s cock. He buried his length deep inside her, her clenching walls pulling him into his own orgasm. His knot enlarged inside her, making Eva moan loudly at the feeling.

They both collapsed on the bed, still connected by James’ knot. He nuzzled her neck.

She leaned back into his touch, feeling his breath and stubble tickle her cheek tenderly. Eva held his metal hand tightly while his flesh hand wrapped around her waist protectively. His thoughts brought up an image of her pregnant and carrying his pups, making him harden at the idea.

"Not tired, Jamie?" Eva asked teasingly as he rolled them to the side. He grunted and moved slightly, his cock touching her cervix for a second and causing her to whimper in pleasure.

"Not in the slightest chance of hell. I have a lot of lost time to make up with you, Omega, and I plan on taking you until I drive you insane from me," James growled, his voice low and feral.

Eva shuddered then at his response. "Someone's eager to please,” she commented cheekily even as she brought her left leg up to her chest. She remembered the way he got when she was cheeky with him.

James growled and began to move inside her, making her whimper and moan his name. She twisted her head to the side, biting her bottom lip as he thrust inside her, watching him. “You’re also insatiable,” she added with a smirk.

James kissed her hard. “I’ll show you just how insatiable I am,” he promised…

* * *

 

The knowing smirk Natasha and Clint gave Eva the next day told her that she hadn’t been as quiet as she liked.

“What?” she finally asked as she turned to look at the two.

Natasha simply shook her head from where she was breastfeeding Shay. Clint wasn’t so kind.

“You know, if you want some privacy away from the kids for a while, I do have a cabin that you could use, mi hermana,” he teased cheekily as he held Charlotte.

Eva glared at him. “I would hit you but you’re holding Charlotte,” she told him.

Clint grinned cheekily and Natasha shook her head at her own mate.

“Waffle mix is in the fridge,” Natasha informed her fellow Omega.

Eva smiled. “Thank you,” she replied. “James was jumped on by Diego,” she informed the two.

"I hope that James wasn't naked otherwise they would have that conversation about," Clint joked as Eva began making waffles. “Dad, why are you naked?” he mimicked, making Eva shake her head at him while not bothering to give him a response.

Eventually, James came down with Diego perched on his shoulders, the little boy smiling happily. They were followed by a sleepy looking. The three of them joined Clint, Natasha, Eva and the quadruplets.

James watched as Eva fussed over Diego, the little boy simply grinning cheekily up at his mother. The adults spoke for a while as the babies were fed by their mother before being placed in their basinets so the adults could feed.

"They're so small," Cisco said softly as Clint brought Charlotte over for the teenage Beta to hold.

"They were born a day early but the doctors said that they were healthy. And said we should wait a while until our next patch of pups," Natasha stated softly, giving Clint a pointed look, as Shay stopped feeding and she burped him.

James looked at Eva. She smiled at him softly before making her way over to him. “We’ll be able to find out in a month,” she whispered softly in his ear so no one could hear her but him.

James looked at her wide-eyed as a slow smile came across his face. Eva grinned and kissed him softly before Clint interrupted them with a wolf whistle. “Get a room,” he told them when they turned to look at him.

Eva glared at Clint while Natasha simply shook her head at him. James turned to watch Diego stuffing his face as James tried not to laugh.

“Pain in the ass,” Eva called Clint.

“Troublesome witch,” Clint replied.

“Estúpido.”

“Perra.”

“Shut up?” Natasha asked, noticing the grins on both Eva and Clint’s faces. “You’re worse than pups.”

“Pain in the asses?” James asked with a cheeky smirk.

"Little immature pups are more like it. I dread to think how Clint acted when he found out you two were mated to each other,” Natasha stated, her face gaining a horrified look at the thought.

"Clint kinda punched me when he found me in bed with Eva. We… had gotten carried away," Bucky replied, amused as he exchanged a look with Eva who blushed at the memory.

"Carried away? I come home and you two are in the freaking bedroom, clothes all over the house and I find you two screwing each other like a bunch of wild wolves. I thought we were being robbed," Clint hissed, low enough so Diego and Cisco wouldn’t catch what he was saying. He grimaced; he'd seen way too much of Eva than he'd liked, he hadn't been able to look her in the eye for two weeks following _that_ incident.

"Poor baby,” Natasha teased softly as she kissed her Alpha who in response slapped her ass playfully, making her squeal in surprised response. Clint held her close when she tried to pull away, grinning against her lips as he deepened their kiss.

“Jeez. Get a fucking room,” James complained good-heartedly.

Natasha pulled away from his lips and shook his head at her mate’s actions as Clint smirked smugly. “We are in a room. In a house,” he stated cheekily.

Eva groaned. “You haven’t changed in all the years I have known you,” she commented. “And no, that’s not necessarily a good thing,” she added at his smirk.

“What do you think family is for?” Clint replied.

“Oh, you and Steve are the same like that,” James stated. “Brothers that enjoy pissing off their siblings yet loving them all the same.”

Clint grinned. “Exactly,” he replied with a grin.

Eva and Natasha shared a look. “Look what you’ve become part of,” Eva stated.

Natasha smirked. “I have an idea,” she muttered, leaning into Clint. “That’s what family is for, after all.”

* * *

 

**_Waverly, Iowa, 1999…_ **

_Eva smiled as James kissed his way down her body. He stopped at her breasts, worried that he might hurt her but she shot him a reassuring look and ran her hands through his dark brown hair. "You sure you want to do this?" James asked quietly, his grey eyes meeting her dark hazel ones._

_Eva nodded, smiling at him reassuringly. She wrapped her leg around his hip as he slowly pushed into her, causing her to moan at the sensation._

_"I'm sure, you're not hurting me," Eva reassured softly._

_James nodded as he began to slowly thrust in and out of her; gently at first but then became slightly rougher, earning moans from her._

_"Fuck, you're so tight Doll," James growled roughly as he nipped at her neck, biting and suckling at her sent gland, causing her to arch into him more._

_"You're so big.... Oh god." Eva whimpered, feeling his hard cock stroke her wet tight walls as he rubbed her clit in time with his thrusts._

_"You're not coming yet, Doll," Bucky growled huskily against her throat._

_She tilted her head back, baring in throat in submission to her Alpha. “Mark me. Fuck me. Please. Jamie. Please,” she moaned, bucking her hips in time with his thrusts._

_“Mine,” he growled. “You’re my bitch, Eva,” he added before biting down on her scent gland._

_Eva screamed as she came hard around his cock. He continued to thrust inside her, prolonging her orgasm. He flipped them over so he could watch her. She leaned backwards and moaned as she rode him, wanting to feel him knot inside her. “Please. Jamie. Yes.”_

_Neither of them noticed that she was facing the door. Or that one of Eva’s surrogate big brothers had entered the house, calling her name._

_"Eva? I brought home pizza for tonight!" Clint called out but Eva didn't hear him._

_James thrust harder into her, causing her to scream in pleasure. James roared with a loud feral sounding growl, her walls tightening around his cock as she rode him._

_James spilled his seed inside her, feeling her walls clench around him as she came again. She quivered with her orgasm, leaning on her Alpha’s chest when the door opened suddenly._

_Clint raced up the stars and swung the door open. He froze at the sight in front of him, nearly dropping his black-tinted sunglasses in shock. His sister was in bed. Naked. With a guy._

_"WHAT THE HELL?!" he roared, his protective side obvious as Eva scrambled to pull the sheets over them._

_“Clint, get the fuck out of my room!” Eva shouted as she covered her naked body. “Now!”_

_Clint growled and stepped forward, eyes on the man who was in the bed with his little sister and freezing again when he recognised him. “Barnes?” he hissed, glaring at his STRIKE teammate._

_“Can you let Eva and I get dressed before the lecture?” James asked, lifting his head to look at his mate’s brother._

_Clint took a deep breath and stormed out of the room._

_Eva collapsed onto James’ chest, burying her face in his skin to hide her laughter._

_James rubbed a hand across his face. “We got caught by your brother,” he muttered, making her laugh harder and her walls to clench around his cock. “Eva,” he moaned._

_She lifted her head and kissed him softly. “Sorry,” she mumbled against his lips before lifting away as his knot finally subsided enough for him to slip out of her. “Come on. Let’s do damage control,” she stated as she started to get dressed._

_When they eventually made their way downstairs, James was greeted with a punch to the jaw. He dropped to the floor, growling as he held his face._

_“James!” Eva called out, quickly stepping between Clint and James. “What the fuck, Clint?!” she shouted._

_“He’s my fucking teammate and he’s fucking my little sister!” Clint shouted. “How do you expect me to react?!”_

_“He’s my mate!” Eva replied, pulling up the sleeve of her shirt and showing her brother her bond mark. “He did nothing wrong!”_

_Clint looked at the bond mark on Eva's arm. On her soft tanned skin, it read ‘James Buchanan Barnes’ in a bright silver. Clint grinded his teeth angrily before he slowly nodded, calming down._

_"You and I need to talk, Barnes," Clint growled warningly._

_James nodded, he wouldn't expect any less from the man._

_Eva rubbed her eyes and sighed as Clint led James outside. “Hurt him, and I’ll make sure to put you on permanent bed rest,” she warned her brother._

_Clint raised an eyebrow and walked out the back door with James following him._

_Clint led him out to the barn before turning to face the older Alpha. “If you hurt her, I will kill you,” the younger Alpha warned him. “If I think for one second that you are hurting her, I will make it my cause that you never know a moment of happiness.”_

_James nodded; everyone at work knew that Clint Barton was not one to break his promises. “Understood, Agent Barton.”_

_Clint nodded. As James turned to go back to the house, the younger Alpha called after him, “And keep the door locked anymore, Sergeant!”_

_James had the decency to blush…_

* * *

 

**_Waverly, Iowa, USA, 2005…_ **

Eva shook her head then in amusement and smiled as she looked over at where James was talking to Clint. Clint had been hard on James at first but they had become good friends in the end. She smiled before helping Natasha with the pups.

She wouldn't mind having more pups with James; her pregnancy had gone well aside from the fact that she almost lost Diego. He could never find out about her attempted suicide. Because she knew that would destroy him and she couldn’t lose him again…


	6. Confessions

Clint threw the ball for Lucky and Hector to fight over. Diego grinned and ran along with the dogs. James grinned as the dogs slowed down and allowed his pup to catch them. Cisco was inside with Natasha and Eva and the quadruplets. The teenaged Alpha rarely left Eva's side, feeling safer around her than he did with anyone else. But that was expected given that she had become his maternal figure after he lost his parents. James didn't feel jealous of the younger boy anymore as he knew the boy's background. Cisco had gone through a lot as a pup and James regretted being a bit harsh with him when they first met. Clint and James were watching when Lucky and Hector narrowly avoided a red ants' nest. Diego came too close to it though and James promptly picked him up and away from it.

Clint poured boiling hot water over it and ant spay over it. The water poured into the ant's nest and got rid of them as James placed Diego on his shoulders. "Your Mama would kill me if you got stung by an ant. You're allergic to them as well," James said seriously and Diego laughed then before they saw the quadruplets now coming outside in their prams.

Shay seemed happy to be fussed over by his aunt. He cooed softly as she fixed his hat. Clint grinned over at his family as Lucky and Hector raced over to them. James smiled and walked over to where Cisco was standing at the bottom of the porch steps. "You okay, chico?" he asked, watching his adopted pup carefully.

Cisco nodded. It wasn't that he didn't like or trust James. But the fifteen-year-old didn't know how to react to his mother's mate. "Yes. The pups sleep a lot. And they're very small," he commented.

"They still feel small. Even when they are not this small," Eva said, turning to look at her own boys.

James tilted his head back to look up at Diego who was grinning at his big brother. "You okay, Buddy?" James asked, sitting down beside Cisco and wrapping his arm around his older pup's shoulders. Cisco was surprised. Eva smiled at the sight as Cisco leaned into James' hug. She smiled at them both warmly before seeing Natasha come over.

"Why is Diego allergic to ants?" Natasha asked curiously as the two sat down and watched the quads lying in their prams with their small teddy bears. Shay seemed content to have Liho settle next to him, the cat's dark tabby fur glowing brightly in the sun.

"When he was a toddler, he was in day care one day and there was a red ants' nest near the day care centre. He got bitten and suffered a severe allergic reaction. He had to go to hospital and get given fluids because the bite was so bad," Eva explained quietly and sighed heavily. "So I keep him away from ants," she added with a smile.

Natasha nodded in understanding before asking the young dark haired woman a question. "So are you pregnant?" Natasha asked softly and Eva bit her lip. She had two pregnancy tests in her room to take and sighed before answering.

"I don't know but it feels like I am," Eva replied. "I have two pregnancy tests in my room."

Natasha nodded. "Clint didn't react well when I told him I was pregnant," the red-head confessed. "I told him the morning after our official bond."

Eva frowned. She hadn't been able to make it up for their bonding; Cisco had ran away from the orphanage he had been put in and Eva had stayed to find him. Clint and Natasha understood, asking her to keep them informed about Cisco's location. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," Natasha replied. "Frightened me; I had never seen him so scared and frustrated."

Eva sighed as understanding came to her; Clint had always been afraid of becoming his father. "But he still wanted to be a father. His past just made him react badly initially."

Natasha nodded. "I was tasked with aiding with the decision about who was to join the Avengers task force. I had to watch videos of James prior to and after his injuries. How feral he became after his operation. All because his instincts knew you weren't there," she started. "You and James and Diego were victims of HYDRA and the Red Room."

Eva brought her knees up to her chest. "I didn't think he would recognise me," Eva whispered.

"Consciously, he didn't. Subconsciously, he did. But no one knew that," Natasha replied. "I only figured it out three weeks before Nick sent James down to you."

Eva looked at her. "You're the reason James was sent," she stated rather than asked.

"I am. As soon as I found out who you were and who your son was Clint told me what HYDRA had done to you and Diego. I told Fury and we realised that HYDRA was looking for you both," Natasha said softly and paused. "James was becoming more feral. I think all of us knew that he was pining for you," she added quietly.

Eva smiled sadly before looking over at where James was sitting with their own pups. "I'm afraid to tell him what I did when... I left him. If I tell him, Nat… I'm afraid that he'll hate me or hate himself," she told the red-head quietly, making Natasha look at her. "I'm afraid he'll leave."

"You need to tell him, Eva. Keeping secrets won't end well," Natasha advised wisely and Eva nodded.

* * *

James had just finished having a shower when he saw a white paper bag and opened it to see two pregnancy tests inside the bag then and stilled. Was Eva pregnant? He got his answer when he went to confront Eva and growled low as he found her saying goodnight to Diego and Cisco. Her scent had changed; it was sweeter, stronger than when she was in heat. He pressed his lips to the back of her head as she shut the boys' door. She smiled softly and turned in his arms. "Hi," she whispered when he leaned down to kiss her. "Hi," he whispered against her lips. "You okay?" he asked as he broke the kiss and rubbed his nose along her scent gland; she most definitely smelled sweeter.

"I'm fine, James. But I need to talk to you... it's important," Eva whispered. She gave him a slight smile before leading him into the bedroom where she handed him a pregnancy test.

James stared at it in shock. He looked at her silently, waiting for her to speak. "I already took one and its positive but I had thought that I couldn't have any more children after Diego... I had a difficult pregnancy," Eva admitted and smiled sadly at her mate.

"We're having another pup?" James asked, delighted. When Eva nodded with a happy smile, James knelt down and pressed his face to her stomach. He could just imagine how big she'd get.

Eva smiled as James pressed his lips to her still flat stomach. It had been almost two months since they mated during Eva's heat. "Yes, James. We're having another pup," she answered.

James stood up and engulfed her in a hug. "Thank you, mi amor," he whispered before kissing her deeply.

Eva grinned into the kiss and squealed when he lifted her off her feet, spinning them around. James laughed and held her tightly to him before they decided to tell the others in the morning as they made arrangements to visit the local doctor in the morning. They were both happy at the thought of having another pup. Eva loved the thought of it being a boy or girl. They were both happy that they had found each other again after five years of not seeing each other.

* * *

James woke up to hear Eva vomiting in the bathroom. He quietly entered the bathroom and held her hair back so she wouldn't get sick on it just.

Eva groaned slightly. "I forgot how much I hated morning sickness," she commented, leaning into his chest after she finished vomiting.

"I wish I had been there for you," he whispered, stroking her hair.

Eva twisted her head to look at him. "You didn't have a choice in the matter, Jamie. You were taken from me. You didn't leave me," she whispered.

James wrapped his arms tighter around her. "You almost miscarried because of me," he whispered.

Eva shook her head. Then she decided it was better to tell him now. "A few weeks after your operation… I was in a bad headspace. I was inconsolable. Not even Clint could talk to me," she started.

James frowned as she spoke; where was she going with this? Eva continued on. "I was lost, heartbroken and upset over losing you and I couldn't see a reason to live... I was shattered. Then I got told by my GYN that Diego might have problems as his heart wasn't developing properly," she confessed.

James's eyes narrowed slightly; he knew what was coming. "In the end, I just couldn't do it anymore... So I took my life into my own hands and decided to end it all," Eva described quietly as she thought back to the day when she had tried to commit suicide.

* * *

**_Clint's Apartment Block, Bed-Stuy, New York, 2001…_ **

_Eva wiped back tears from her face as she looked at a photo of her and James two weeks before he had left for the mission which had changed their lives so painfully. She looked at the bottle of pills and took four of them, curling up into a tight ball and closing her eyes. She just wanted the pain in her chest to stop. The photo was still clutched in her hands when Clint arrived with Barney to see how she was but found the door locked._

_"Eva?" Clint called out as he knocked on the door to her bedroom. He exchanged a glance with his older brother. "Eva, open the door. Please?"_

_When she didn't reply, Clint and Barney took a step back before Clint kick at the door. They rushed in when the door fell. Clint immediately ran towards the bed while Barney checked the rest of the apartment._

_Clint found Eva curled up in a ball on her bed. "Barney, call an ambulance now!" Clint roared as he raced over to their little sister. He checked her pulse; it was very faint but it was there. Then he spotted the bottle of pills beside her. "No. No. No," he begged, moving Eva into a recovery position. "Come on, mi hermana," he begged. "Come on. Don't leave us too."_

_Eva didn't respond. Her skin was ashen and her pulse was weak. Clint felt sick as he pulled her into her side, stroking her hair out of her face worriedly, while Barney called an ambulance._

_"Eva, please wake up, please," Clint begged as the ambulance arrived._

_The two EMTs placed her on a stretcher before carrying her down to the ambulance. Clint and Barney hurried after them, both in shock._

_"She tried to kill herself... our little sister tried to kill herself," Barney whispered, horrified, while Clint simply got in the car and they followed after the ambulance._

* * *

"You tried to kill yourself?" James asked, pained, and Eva nodded, ashamed. He swallowed slightly; he had driven his mate insane.

Eva twisted in his arms, burying her face in his chest. "I'm so sorry, Jamie. I'm so sorry," she whispered, shaking as tears threatened to fall. "Please don't hate me. Don't hate me."

James held her close, burying his face in her hair. "Don't," he whispered. "You're here. Diego is here. You're both here. The past doesn't matter now," he whispered, rocking her gently. "I don't hate you."

"Why don't you hate me, James?" Eva asked, stunned.

James sighed, tightening his arms around her. He took her hand and placed it where his beating heart was. "Because I love you," James said firmly.

Eva hugged him tightly, her chest heaving slightly. He wiped her tears away from her face and kissed her, making Eva's stomach burn with pleasure. He rubbed her stomach with his metal hand, his face soft as he moved and rested his face against the spot where their pup was growing within her womb. "Neuestro bebe," he whispered thickly and kissed her stomach tenderly before growling low in his throat.

Eva shifted and kissed her mate deeply. He lifted her up as he stood, carrying her out to their bedroom. James groaned into the kiss as he lay her down on the bed. He broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck. "You're mine, Eva," he whispered huskily against her skin. "You're my mate and I'm not letting you go."

Eva bared her throat in submission, whimpering as he nipped and marked her skin. "Yours," she promised.

James growled low in his throat and began placing kisses down her throat before pulling off her T-shirt. He pushed her onto the bed before kissing her passionately. He nuzzled her stomach tenderly, his stubble tickling her skin as she ran her hands through his thick dark brown locks tenderly to pull him up and kissed him. "Our little pup," he whispered softly and a smile appeared on Eva's face as he kissed her again. His metal hand cupped her face gently as she leaned into his touch. She loved this man. Her Alpha.

Eva moaned into the kiss as she spread her legs, cradling him in the apex of her thighs. "Jamie!" she gasped when he growled possessively into her mouth. "Make love to me, Jamie," she whispered.

Jamie cupped her breasts, noticing the widening of her eyes; her boobs had been sensitive during her first pregnancy but now? Now, with her mate cupping them, they felt the most sensitive she had ever felt them.

"I want us to get officially bonded, Eva," he whispered, surprising the Latina.

"You want us to get officially bonded, James?" Eva asked, surprised at his question.

James nodded as he nipped at her neck dominantly, causing her to shudder slightly. He pulled off her bra and the Alpha inside of him growled in approval; her breasts were tanned and he remembers how they felt in his hands and her reactions the previous night. She didn't shy away from his touch when his metal hand touched her face. He trembled slightly before resting his flesh and blood hand over her stomach where their pup was growing.

"You're so beautiful, Eva. I'm so sorry for not being there for you when you needed me," he whispered quietly as he held her tightly against his bare chest.

"You're here now," she answered, kissing her mate deeply. "That's all that matters now. We can have as many pups as you want," she added, arching up into his touch.

James pulled back in surprise. Then he kissed her deeply. "Thank you, mi amor," he whispered into her mouth. Eva moaned and let him remove her panties, thankful to have only been wearing James' T-shirt. "Wanna make love to you," James whispered against her lips.

"I'm not going to stop you from doing it," Eva said breathlessly.

James quickly stripped off his boxers before he began to gently push inside of her. He growled low in his throat at the feeling of the sensation of Eva's tight wet walls gripping around his hard cock. She was his, all his. And they were going to make it official. He pressed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss, her hands tangling into his hair. He felt her legs wrap around his waist tightly. "I'm not going to leave you again, Eva," James promised fiercely.

"I know," she whispered into his mouth. "Now show me," she added, her eyes flickering with mischief.

He growled and pulled her left leg over his shoulder, moving to his knees to change the angle to deeper, faster thrusts. He grabbed the headboard with his metal hand, the wood splintering as his grip tightened. Eva gripped the back of his head and pulled him down to kiss him deeply, whimpering his name as he sped up his movements. James shifted slightly then and held her hips tightly, bruising Eva slightly as the Winter Soldier came out and claimed her. "Mine, you're mine, Eva," James growled roughly.

Eva dug her nails into his broad shoulders, her breathing heavy. "I'm yours, James, only yours," she whispered breathlessly as his stubble scratched and tickled her neck before he buried his face in between her breasts. His metal hand moved from the headboard to cup her breasts in his cold touch. Eva shuddered and James thrust harder into her, causing her to moan. Her biggest turn on was how rough and possessive he got when they rutted like this. "Harder, Jamie," she whimpered, grinning at him when he growled. "Come on, mi amor. I know you want to fuck me harder."

James growled and pulled out before moving Eva onto her hands and knees. She gripped the headboard as he pushed back inside her. He used his flesh hand to play with her breasts while his metal hand came to where he was pounding inside her, his fingers roughly playing with her sensitive clit. Eva cried out in pleasure and dug her nails into his metal arm, her breathing heavy as he kissed her over her shoulder passionately. Her breathing was heavy as she whispered his name softly, her voice like a caress. "I love you," James growled roughly, breaking the kiss and biting his teeth into the soft skin of her neck, causing her to cry out in pleasure. He did love her; he remembered her fully now and how much he loved this beautiful young woman. His mate. The mother of his pups. He kissed along her scent gland as he thrust harder inside her. "Want you to come for me, Eva. Want to feel you come all over my cock."

Eva whimpered and twisted her head. "Gonna come for you, Jamie," she whispered. "Gonna come on your cock," she moaned.

James growled. "I love it when you come on my cock. Such a good bitch for me," he praised, kissing along the length of her spine. "My bitch."

Eva cried out his name as she came hard around his cock. Her cunt clenched hard around his cock, quivering and clamping down on his length. James set his teeth into her scent gland, his knot expanding before he came hard, shouting her name into her shoulder. He spilled his seed inside her, the sensation sending Eva into a second orgasm, her walls milking his cock of all he had. They both collapsed onto the bed, James' body blanketing Eva's. She twisted her head to look at him, smiling when he closed the differences and kissed her soundly. With his knot still inflated, neither of them could move, content to simply hold each other and kiss softly.

* * *

Later on, they sat Cisco and Diego down. "We need to tell you something," Eva stated calmly with a smile as James sat beside her. Both boys looked curiously at their parents as Eva exchanged a smile with James before turning to where their two growing Alphas were sitting.

"You're going to have a little brother or a sister in nine months' time," Eva said softly, causing Cisco and Diego to look delighted.

"We're having a brother or sister, mama?!" Diego asked excited while Cisco was quiet.

' _What if Bucky and Eva didn't want me anymore?_ ' Cisco thought to himself. "I'm happy for you both," he told them quietly but honestly.

Eva smiled at Cisco and moved to kneel before him. She cupped his face and made him look at her. "You are part of this family, Cisco," she told him. "Just because our family is growing doesn't mean we don't want you here. After fighting so hard to make sure I couldn't go anywhere without you, did you really think I was going to let you go?" she asked, stroking his naturally spiky hair that had been flattened down from his shower. "Why would you ever think we would let you go?" she whispered.

"Everyone I have loved as always left me," he replied, his voice breaking as he thought about his birth parents.

Eva smiled sadly at him before pulling him into a hug. "I'm not leaving you, Cisco," she promised.

Cisco fell into her arms, holding her close to him. James smiled at the scene as Diego perched on his lap. James moved to his mate and oldest pup, joining their hug. This was his pack. And he would do everything to keep them safe.

* * *

James accompanied Eva to her doctor's appointment the following morning. They arrived on time and were shown to a private room. Eva got into a hospital gown before sitting on the bed. James felt slightly nervous as he held onto Eva's hand tightly before the midwife, Sarah, entered and gave them a reassuring smile. "Eva Santos Barnes?" she asked.

"Yeah," Eva answered, watching her carefully; she knew the procedure.

"I'm just here to fill out reports for our registry," Sarah informed her. The midwife was an Omega, as all midwife's were, in her 40s, her hair still not showing signs of greying yet. "I need your date of birth, date of last period, and a short summary of your general health."

"Date of Birth: 23th February 1981. Last period was almost eleven weeks ago. My general health is good," Eva responded.

"The scar to your face, how did you get it?" Sarah asked, making James tense.

"Car crash when I was a child. Killed my parents," Eva replied calmly.

Sarah nodded. "Thank you. Dr Kelly will be with you momentarily," she informed them before leaving.

Eva shook her head. "Clint called his doctor here," she commented when James looked at her in confusion.

"The one who replaced you as Head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Medical Unit?" he asked.

Eva nodded. "Dr Jennifer Kelly. Beta. Bonded to Phil Coulson," she recited. "She's nice. Helped me operate on you."

"I think I remember her vaguely," James said thoughtfully as Jennifer arrived, her long brown hair pulled into a ponytail as she smiled at them both warmly.

"Alright, let's see how your little one is doing, Eva," Jennifer stated as she pulled over the ultrasound, Eva lying down on the bed. "As always, this might be cold at first," she added, squirting the gel onto Eva's abdomen and using the wand to spread it around, causing Eva to shiver slightly. Silence echoed for a while before Jennifer brought the wand down to Eva's womb. The pup came up on the ultrasound machine, a whooshing noise filling the room. Jennifer moved the wand around, finding that there were two pups cuddled up. A look of concern showed on Jennifer's face then, causing Bucky to hold Eva's hand tightly.

"What's wrong?" Eva asked concerned, sensing the tension as Jennifer examined the screen intently.

"It seems pup two is in the breech position so we'll have to monitor your pregnancy closely," Jennifer explained as Sarah arrived into the room. "But because it is so early in the pregnancy, we don't need to worry yet, just means we need to monitor their movements."

Eva nodded, remembering a similar case when she was working as a resident. "Sarah, can you help Eva clean up?" Jennifer asked. "Barnes, may I gave a word with you outside?" she requested as she stood up.

James looked worried, turning to Eva who just nodded as she sat up and let Sarah help clean her up. James followed Jennifer outside. Jennifer turned to face him. "I'm going to be frank with you, James. Eva's last pregnancy with Diego was stable until Diego began having difficulty when the cord wrapped around his neck prior to labour. With twins, the birth is slightly more riskier due to complications regarding weight and size gain. There is also a slightly high risk of premature birth or still birth but that reduces following the fourth month," she informed him.

James' face paled at the mention of still birth. His younger brother, Thomas, had been born still born after complications. His death had scarred his mother for years. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Jennifer smiled. "Be a good mate. Be supportive. And don't over worry about the pregnancy," she told him. "All multiple births have risks. Look at Natasha and Clint; they had four pups. The risk goes up with every addition pup. There is a higher chance of both pups surviving than either of them having complications."

James nodded. "Can the pups sense if Eva is in distress?" he asked, making Jennifer raise an eyebrow at him.

"There is no bulletproof study to prove it but it is commonly thought across that pups in the womb can sense their mother in distress. And that they can inherit certain nervous traits. Why?" she replied.

James crossed his arms over his chest. "I wasn't able to be there for Eva for her pregnancy with Diego. I want to know everything I can for this pregnancy."

Jennifer smiled at him. "I had a pup six months ago. Skye. Becoming a parent, despite my position as a doctor, scared the shit out of me. You can never know everything that can happen. I will send you books to help. Although, I think Clint has all of them himself," she told him.

"Thank you," James said gratefully. Jennifer smiled at him before they entered the examination room where a smiling Eva was sitting, chatting with Sarah. James smiled in relief at the sight. Things were alright.

* * *

Eva was asleep, having a nap. James had discovered, from Clint and Natasha's pregnancy books, that being pregnant, let alone with twins, made an Omega/Beta tired. While Eva napped, James watched Cisco and Diego interact with the quads who were either sleeping or watching the two young Alphas as Natasha experimented with different cooking recipes. So far the red-head had made several different chicken dishes, beef dishes, and other dishes he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she put in them. But he wasn't complaining; he ate like a horse and Natasha was a pretty good cook.

"Are you that stir crazy?" he asked the red-head as Eva napped and Clint took the dogs for a walk.

Natasha lifted her head from where she was looking through a new recipe book Clint had found for her. "What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Are you that stir crazy that you are learning how to cook?" he reiterated, making her smirk.

"I have four pups and a mate who could eat for the whole of Europe. So can you. And as you and Eva are staying her until you get yourselves settled, I think it was in the best interest for everyone if one of us could cook substantial meals," she replied, making him grin cheekily.

"And it has nothing to do with the six-eight week ban?" he teased in Russian, making the red-head glare at him.

"Kozyol," she muttered, glaring half-heartedly at him when he simply grinned in reply. "Don't you have reading to do?" she asked, gesturing to the book in his lap.

James grinned and stuck out his tongue at the red-head playfully. "I have the first five chapters read already," he replied. "You know… Since Steve and I were experimented on and made into super soldiers making me quicker than anyone here," he added cheekily, making Natasha roll her eyes at him.

"Shut up, Soldat," she told him, shaking her head before Lily made a sound of discontent from her Moses' basket. Natasha stood up and made her way over to her youngest daughter, smiling and cooing gently as she picked the squirming, hungry child up. James smiled at the red-head as she returned to her seat, picturing his own mate in a similar position in a few months time.


End file.
